Recent summer sea ice thickness surveys in Fram Strait and associated ice volume fluxes The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-10-523-2016 8 March 2016 We present an extensive data set of ground-based and airborne electromagnetic ice thickness measurements covering Fram Strait in summer between 2001 and 2012. An investigation of back trajectories of surveyed sea ice using satellite-based sea ice motion data allows us to examine the connection between thickness variability, ice age and source area. In addition, we determine across and along strait gradients in ice thickness and associated volume fluxes. Read more
The airborne mass spectrometer AIMS – Part 1: AIMS-H2O for UTLS water vapor measurements Atmospheric Measurement Techniques DOI 10.5194/amt-9-939-2016 7 March 2016 We present the development of a new airborne mass spectrometer AIMS-H2O for the fast and accurate measurement of water vapor in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. The high accuracy needed for e.g. quantification of atmospheric water vapor transport processes or cloud formation is achieved by an in-flight calibration of the instrument. AIMS-H2O is deployed on the DLR research aircraft HALO and Falcon where it covers a range of water vapor mixing ratios from 1 to 500 ppmv. Read more
Multi-instrument gravity-wave measurements over Tierra del Fuego and the Drake Passage – Part 1: Potential energies and vertical wavelengths from AIRS, COSMIC, HIRDLS, MLS-Aura, SAAMER, SABER and radiosondes Atmospheric Measurement Techniques DOI 10.5194/amt-9-877-2016 4 March 2016 Seven gravity-wave-resolving instruments (satellites, radiosondes and a meteor radar) are used to compare gravity-wave energy and vertical wavelength over the Southern Andes hotspot. Several conclusions are drawn, including that limb sounders and the radar show strong positive correlations. Radiosondes and AIRS weakly anticorrelate with other instruments and we see strong correlations with local stratospheric winds. Short-timescale variability is larger than the seasonal cycle. Read more
Bulk meltwater flow and liquid water content of snowpacks mapped using the electrical self-potential (SP) method The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-10-433-2016 29 February 2016 We show that strong electrical self-potential fields are generated in melting in in situ snowpacks at Rhone Glacier and Jungfraujoch Glacier, Switzerland. We conclude that the electrical self-potential method is a promising snow and firn hydrology sensor, owing to its suitability for sensing lateral and vertical liquid water flows directly and minimally invasively, complementing established observational programs and monitoring autonomously at a low cost. Read more
World’s soils are under threat SOIL DOI 10.5194/soil-2-79-2016 29 February 2016 The Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils has completed the first State of the World’s Soil Resources Report. The gravest threats were identified for all the regions of the world. This assessment forms a basis for future soil monitoring. The quality of soil information available for policy formulation must be improved. Read more
Proof of concept: temperature-sensing waders for environmental sciences Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems DOI 10.5194/gi-5-45-2016 29 February 2016 Temperature-sensor-incorporated waders worn by the public can give scientists an additional source of information on stream water-groundwater interaction. A pair of waders was equipped with a thermistor and calibrated in the lab. Field tests in a deep polder ditch with a known localized groundwater contribution showed that the waders are capable of identifying the boil location. This can be used to decide where the most interesting places are to do more detailed and more expensive research. Read more
All-clear for gourmets: truffles not radioactive Biogeosciences DOI 10.5194/bg-13-1145-2016 25 February 2016 Although ranging among the most expensive gourmet foods, it remains unclear whether truffles accumulate radioactivity at a harmful level comparable to other fungi. Insignificant radiocaesium concentrations in specimens from Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, and Hungary provide an all-clear for truffle hunters and cultivators in Europe as well as dealers and customers from around the world. Read more
Apparent increase in coccolithophore abundance in the subtropical North Atlantic from 1990 to 2014 Biogeosciences DOI 10.5194/bg-13-1163-2016 25 February 2016 In this study, we combine phytoplankton pigment data with particulate inorganic carbon and chlorophyll measurements from the satellite record to assess recent trends in phytoplankton dynamics in the North Atlantic subtropical gyre, with a focus on coccolithophores. We show that coccolithophores in the North Atlantic have been increasing in abundance. Correlations suggest that they are responding positively to increasing inorganic carbon from anthropogenic inputs in the upper mixed layer. Read more
Atmospheric significance of aeolian salts in the sandy deserts of northwestern China Solid Earth DOI 10.5194/se-7-191-2016 4 February 2016 Salt archives in sediments are critical to understanding a number of geochemical processes in the earth surface conditions. This study presents a physical and geochemical survey into aeolian salts in the Chinese deserts to explore their possible climatic implications. The results suggest the aeolian salts are atmospheric origin without local geological limits. It is a latent indicator in onefold depositional environment but not so in diverse conditions. Palaeoenvironmental use should be careful. Read more
Runoff- and erosion-driven transport of cattle slurry: linking molecular tracers to hydrological processes Biogeosciences DOI 10.5194/bg-13-551-2016 1 February 2016 Our interdisciplinary research brings together methodologies from hydrology, soil science and biogeochemistry to address key questions about the transport of cattle slurry in the environment. The paper provides a novel approach to trace dissolved and particulate components of cattle slurry through an experimental hillslope system. This work provides one of the first examples of using biomarkers to assess the effects of slope gradient and rainfall intensity on the movement of slurry derived-OM. Read more
